Taking A Break
by Soleil Artemis Lumiere
Summary: Allen, Lenalee, and Miranda were having a holiday and were going together to visit a fair in town. they encounter Rhode Camelot who had just returned from school. what would happen next?
1. Chapter 1

_Author's note: This is going to be a two-part story. You might find this rather awkward and weird, though, but thanks a lot for reading—_Soleil

Taking a Break

Lenali Lee, Miranda Lotte, and Allen Walker stride the crowded street together. Despite being exorcists and everything, that day seems so peaceful for the three of them.

"Don't you think it's great, Allen, Miranda? Finally we have a holiday!" Lenali remarks happily.

"Yeah, I was almost sure we exorcists will never have a holiday," Allen smiles, "But we eventually have."

"Y-yes," said Miranda. Her voice sounds weak and timid as usual, but she seems to be in a good mood, "—and it happens that a fair's just opened up, so we can go and look around…"

The three of them keep walking until a group of children excitedly run out of a building and across the road, "Whoa, I've never seen such big crowd of kids around here," says Allen.

"It's because you don't get out much, Allen! They are students in the school over there. I guess the lesson's just ended," Lenali explains.

"So that's it," Allen nods. It is a good view; happy, innocent children happily running back from school, walking home with friends, and once they get back, a warm loving house is waiting for them. Allen has always dreamt of a life like that; happy and carefree. However, it's impossible, isn't it? Although the world seems ignorant and the three of them are going out together to see a fair, nothing can change the fact that a big war has erupted; a war between the Millenium Earl and the Noahs against the Black Order, fighting for the fate of the world.

Among those children, there's one girl who doesn't blend in. Her hair is short, dark-coloured, and messy. Her skin is dark and she's wearing frilly gothic Lolita top and skirt. She looks just like any other kids, but she doesn't seem to get along with the other children. Most of the children walk with one another, chattering and walking together. Although some walk on their own, at least they look happy. However, this little girl doesn't seem to have any passion like the others; she looks emotionless and bored. One more thing, she sure looks familiar…

"Hey, I think I've seen that girl before…," Allen says suddenly.

"Which one?" Lenali asks.

"The one with short hair and pale pink outfit," Allen describes the girl, but he avoids to point at her.

"That one? Yeah, I think I've seen her too. But who could she be?"

They become silent, trying to recall.

"Uh, um…," Miranda who has been hiding behind Lenali all the time finally breaks the ice, "Isn't she… Isn't she a Noah?"

Speaking of the devil, the little girl seems to catch the word 'Noah' as she passes by the group. She turns to them. Her emotionless, bored face becomes lit up with joy and excitement, "ALLEN¬¬!"

"R-Rhode?!" Allen and Lenali scream in unison. They were shocked and fear-struck while Miranda sinks to the bottom of the sea of despair. How could they not recognize Rhode Camelot, the Noah they have encountered so many times and tortured them every time they meet?

"Allen! And Lenali and the Clock Girl! Yay!" Rhode sings and jumps around the horrified threesome. They instinctively step back; ready to invocate anytime the least threat sign appears.

"Drawing weapons already? How rude¬!" Rhode stops skipping around and puts her hands on her waist, "It's okay! I'm not here to kill you! At least not yet¬!"

"Phew," Allen lets his guard down, "Allen!" Lenali worriedly yells at Allen. She can't trust Rhode; how could Allen let himself be vulnerable before such formidable enemy?

"Hahaha!" Rhode chuckles, "Lenali is sooo cuu¬te! Getting all worried like that… It's okay, really!"

"So it's Rhode… I thought she was just a schoolgirl…," Allen looks away.

"What do you mean? I AM a schoolgirl!" Rhode replies.

"Eeh!" Allen, Lenali, and Miranda exclaim together. Rhode goes to school?! Such a psychopath goes to school? Bet she's the queen of bullies!

"Why do you look so surprised? Is it THAT weird if I go to school?" Rhode tilts her head a bit, "Allen! I see you laughing!"

"S-sorry… I can't help it… Haha…"

"By the way, where are you going? You don't wear those black cloaks today, I wonder why."

Miranda and Lenali dare not say a thing. They've always been terrified by Rhode's presence although she appears in such casual way. She doesn't even have that murderous, sinister aura she usually has when they meet. Rhode somehow seems so normal, but can a Noah be normal? Still the two girls don't have the nerve to talk casually to Rhode, but Allen has, "It's holiday, so we're going to the fair. Are you on a break too?"

Allen's so brave. The thing is; Allen doesn't see things the ways others do. Not only is he so kind to everyone, he also feels for the akuma and the Noahs. While all other exorcists destroy the fiend akuma out of hatred, Allen sees it as a way of salvation for the akuma's soul; Allen kills akuma to save it. He is also able to see the Noahs as fellow human beings although everyone sees them as monstrous enemies.

"Since the Earl's got no scenario for me today, I guess I'm on a break. Yes! I'm having a break too!" Rhode skips towards Allen, "So you are going to the fair… What's a fair?"

Even though Rhode's appearance is childlike, she obviously has lived far longer than Allen, Miranda, and Lenali. How come she does not know what a fair is?

"Don't you know what a fair is?" Allen asks with disbelief.

"Nope!"

"Uh, how do we put it? It's like, um…," Allen seems not sure how to define the word for Rhode.

"It's like a market," Lenali explains, "But it's only set up in special occasion. There are shops and sometimes there are various performances too!"

"Yeah, that's it," Allen remarks, but his mind seems to be somewhere else. Images are rushing through his head. He recalls the times when he was still with Mana Walker. They first met in a fair. They went together to a lot of fairs too. Mana would perform in his clown costume while Allen helped with everything. It was fun, but now it somehow felt so distant…

"Cool! Can I come along? I don't want to go home; I want to see the fair!" it's such an unexpected response from Rhode. Rhode Camelot, the oldest of the Noahs, is asking if she could follow exorcists-off-duty to a fair; how weird is that?

"What?!" Allen, Lenali, and Miranda are startled, "A-are you sure? I mean…"

"Yep! I want to go to the fair!"

"Oh, okay then," Allen replies with a smile.

"Allen?!" Miranda and Lenali exclaim at once. They know Allen's a good guy, but they'd never thought he could go so far as allowing an enemy who'd tortured them so much to come with them. Meanwhile, Rhode leaps and hugs Allen as she sings joyfully, "Yay! Allen, you're the best!"


	2. Chapter 2 end

_The second and the last part!!! Thanks to everyone who read and review!!!__ I don't know if Lenali is really afraid of ghosts, though._

It is very crowded at the fair. Vendors and stands are filled with people. Some are shopping, some are watching performances, and some are playing games. The only common thing is that everyone is having fun.

"Whoa! Is this the fair? Is this it?" Rhode remarks with excitement, "So crowded!"

"Haha," Allen smirks.

"Allen! Allen!" Rhode is tugging on Allen's sleeve, "Let's go there!"

Allen, Miranda, and Lenali's gazes follow Rhode's hand pointing at a cave-like entrance where people in mummy costumes are handing out flyers and inviting people to come. Above the entrance was a board with 'HAUNTED HOUSE' written on it in blood red. Lenali turned pale.

"Great! Let's go, then!" Allen starts walking to the Haunted House. Miranda nods and follows. Rhode jumps along them. However, Lenali stays put at her position. Her palms start sweating.

"Lenali? Is something wrong?" Miranda stops and looks back at Lenali. Allen and Rhode stop too.

"Uh," Lenali forces a smile, "I-I'd better not go. Why don't you guys go ahead? I'll wait right here."

"Eh, why?" Allen asks, "It's going to be fun!"

"I-I really rather stay here. Don't mind me, okay!" Lenali nervously replies.

"Lenali is afraid of ghosts! That's why she won't go into the haunted house!" Rhode exclaims joyfully.

"Really? Are you afraid of ghosts, Lenali?" Allen asks.

"N-no! I just—" Lenali turns defensive, but she looks so funny, trying to hide her fear like that. Even Miranda almost laughs, but manages to hide it so she won't embarrass Lenali.

"Lenali is a coward! Lenali is a coward!" Rhode hums as she dances around Lenali.

"I'm not a coward!" Lenali says. Her tone was a mix of comical embarrassment and denial.

"Prove it then!" Rhode stops in front of Lenali, meeting her gaze. Her mouth curves into a mischievous grin, "Come with us to the Haunted House!"

Lenali faces a dilemma. She REALLY is afraid, but she does not want to be ridiculed by anybody, especially a Noah. She still has her pride, "Alright! I'll come with you! I'll prove that I'm NOT a coward!"

What's so scary about a haunted house anyway? All the ghosts and monsters and decorations are just fakes. Lenali has faced thousands of REAL akumas. A mere haunted house is nothing compared to those horrible, bloodthirsty creatures, isn't it?

Or… is it?

_Fifteen minutes later…_

"Whew! Finally we're out! It's nice to see sunshine again," Allen says as they come out of the Haunted House.

"But that was real fun!" says Rhode, then she grins and turns to Lenali, "Don't you think so, Lenali?"

"O-of course! Haunted House? 's nothing! Haha…," Lenali lies. In fact, she can hardly stand straight. She is still leaning against Miranda, looking for support.

"I think the skulls were kind of cute," Miranda says with an awkward smile. Lenali looks at her with disbelief.

They walk on. There are a lot to see. It is quite fun. Who would have guessed the Noahs and the exorcists could get along so well? Noahs are still human after all, Allen thought. If only they hadn't sided with the Earl of Millenium, they could have been good, ordinary people. No, maybe even the Earl himself could have been a good, ordinary person. It is possible, isn't it? Allen often wonders what the real intention of the Earl is. He has created so many akumas out of people's misery to create misery. What is he actually up to behind all of this madness? Doesn't he feel tired of fighting on and on? He should have. Allen has not lived long, but he is already sick of it, and the Earl has lived for more than a thousand years, hasn't he?

"What is that pink fluffy thing?" Rhode who is now walking beside Miranda asks curiously. Her dark hand pointing at a colourful cart surrounded with pink fluffy and mouth-wateringly yummy cotton candy.

"That's cotton candy," Miranda says, "Have you never eaten it?"

"Nope! How does it taste?" Rhode asks again.

"It's been years since I last eaten it I almost forget how it tastes," Miranda replies, "But I don't. It's sweet, and very soft."

"Oh!"

"You want to have some, Rhode?" Miranda asks kindly.

"Can I?" Rhode's asks back hopefully.

"Of course."

"Hey, that's a nice idea. A little sweet never hurts!" Allen agrees with Miranda.

"Lovely! Let's get some candy, then!" Lenali chimes in. So the four of them go to buy the candy and continue walking around the fair, enjoying their time as much as they can. They will never know when they will ever get a time like this again; months later, maybe, so they might as well have fun to the fullest.

Allen, Miranda, Lenali, and Rhode stops to watch a clown doing tricks to entertain the people. Children flocks around the clown like ants surrounding sugar. They all watch with admiration as the clown does simple tricks like taking birds and flowers out of an empty top hat. Allen smiles as he sees those happy children. There were times when he and Mana made children laugh like that. Never has he ever forgotten the smiles of people they have entertained and also the satisfaction in Mana's face after another 'job well-done'.

Allen notices a flower lying on the ground. It is the same flower the clown has been producing from his top hat. Allen picks it up.

"Mr. Clowny, where is the flower?" asks a little boy. The clown looks confused. He searched his top hat, but he found no flower. He looks so helpless. Allen looks at the flower he has just picked. The clown must have lost it. That kind of disaster often happens during a performance. Allen hides the flower in his sleeves and walks toward the clown.

Allen stands beside the confused clown. All the children turns their eyes to the stranger who steps into the stage. Allen smiles at them, then he does his trick. He shows his empty palm to the audiences. Then, with a flick of his hand, A flower suddenly appears out of nowhere. The clown is surprised, the children are mesmerized.

"Mr. Clowny must have lost his flower, now let me return it to him," Allen says as if addressing the audiences as he gives the flower back to the clown.

"Why, thank you, boy! You seems pretty good," the clown says to Allen.

"I used to do this some time ago," Allen replies, then he walks back to Lenali, Rhode, and Miranda.

"You can do tricks to, Allen?" Rhode asks him eagerly, "But that trick just now is so lame! You've got to show us REAL tricks!"

"Ha, I can only do simple ones. It's been long since I do any tricks," Allen replies with a smirk. Then he watches the clown and those children again.

Allen misses those joyful faces. Allen misses those peaceful days. Allen misses Mana. But he has lost all of them to his own fault; to his own foolishness.

He feels like running away from all this madness. He wants to quit fighting, quit being an exorcist. He wants to be travelling performer again; he wants to do lame tricks only toddlers can appreciate.

However, he knows nothing will ever be the same. And he can't run away. He must keep on fighting. There is no other choice.

"Hey, young man!" there's a call from a small table from a table on the side of the street, "Stop being so mellow, won't you? It's time to have fun! Why don't you play poker with us?"

Allen and the others turn towards the table. They saw three familiar men and a child, one of the men has black curly hair and real thick spectacles, calling for them.

"Yo, Cheater Boy!" says the man with spectacles.

"You've got yourself surrounded by ladies today, have you?" says another.

Allen leaps back in horror, "T-Tyki??!!"

Lenali and Miranda also looks horrified.

"What the hell with your face? It's just us! Come, Cheater Boy, we're not gonna let you win again this time!" the man with spectacles sneers.

"Tyki! What are you doing here?" Rhode joyously asks the man wearing spectacles.

"You know that little girl, Tyki?" asks his friend.

"Eh, just a random punk from the street," Tyki replies nonchalantly.

"Hey! Who's the punk here?" Rhode doesn't look pleased. Tyki just sends her a don't-mess-up glare.

The exorcists should not be so horrified with Tyki's presence. He's obviously in his disguise. The White Tyki isn't going to harm them. In fact, the White Tyki isn't going to do anything to them, except trying to rob their money from gambling, of course.

Like they can do it. Not if Allen is the one who is playing.

So Allen walks forward and sits down before Tyki and his friends at put on his darkest smile, "Bring it on."

Half an hour later, the three men are stripped to their underpants AGAIN, while Allen becomes surrounded by stacks of money and gold as easily as flipping the back of his hand.

"All of our winnings…," Tyki laments.

"All lost…"

"Take your clothes back, guys," Allen puts on his deceiving, innocent smile, "But I'm keeping all these!" he grins as he collects the money.

"Hey, Mr. Allen can help us earn a fortune today!" says the little blond boy, "Would you help us, Sir? Will you play with visitors for us?"

"Why, of course!" Allen agrees.

"Eaze, you're a genius!" the men pats the little boy on the head, "Thanks, Cheater Boy!"

"Don't mention it. I earn a lot too—"

"Cross Marian's pupil!!!" suddenly two girls in hideous gothic outfit—one with blond hair and sewn (?) mouth, the other with dark hair—run towards them,

"Heh, who are you guys?"

"I'm Jasdero—" exclaims the dark-haired girl, "—and I'm Debito!!! Together we are—"

"JASDEBI!!!" the two girls screamed together.

"Oh my God…," Lenali sighs, "Another weird Noah…"

"We gotta take all this money! You gotta pay all that bloody lecher's debt he made us pay!!!"

The two girls take all the money Allen just won and run as fast as they came.

"My money…," Allen laments.

"They must have really hated Master Cross…," Miranda says.

"Hmph," Allen sulks, "That's nothing compared to my suffering…"

Allen have suffered A LOT during his apprenticeship to General Cross Marian. Most of it concerns him having to pay his master's debts. That's what makes him a gambling cheating expert.

Another figure comes running towards Tyki's gambling table. This time a middle aged gentleman with long, "Rhode!!!"

"Papa!" Rhode stands up.

Sherril Camelot dramatically picks up his foster father and hugs her, "Rhode! You got Papa real worried! Why didn't you go home straight after school?"

Allen, Lenali, and Miranda's jaws drop. "P-papa…"

Sherril Camelot is another Noah. Despite the other Noahs who keep their identity mysterious, Sherril Camelot is a famous politician. He has a wife back at home and adopted Rhode as his daughter.

"We're just having fun!" Rhode replies. Sherril puts Rhode down and sends a hostile glare towards Allen and the others.

"You! How dare you kidnap my Road!" Sherril grabs Allen's collar and hisses, "I'll make you pay dearly, exorcists!"

Allen definitely doesn't want to know how he would made them pay, "Ah… There seems to be a little misunderstanding here…"

"Papa, stop it!" Rhode tugs at Sherril's sleeve, "They didn't kidnap me! I just wanted to see a fair!"

Rhode grins, "How could you think I could be kidnapped by mere exorcists anyway?"

Then, two more well-dressed men come to them.

"Lord Camelot! You shouldn't wander around the street unprotected by yourself!" says one of the men.

"Lord Camelot! You should be on your way to your meeting with Lord Barrows!" says the other.

"Oh, no, duty calls," Sherril's attitude becomes nonchalant and authorizing, "Let's go home, Rhode."

"Ookay…," Rhode unwillingly follows her father, "Buh-bye, exorcists! Let's play again sometime!"

Allen, Lenali, and Miranda definitely don't want to imagine what the word 'play' means in Rhode's dictionary this time, "Uh, yeah, sure."

Sherril, Rhode, and the other two men leave the fair.

"Shouldn't we go back too?" Lenali speaks up.

"Yes, it's getting late," Miranda agrees.

"I guess so. Let's go back to the headquarters then. See you later, guys!" Allen bids Tyki and the others goodbye.

"Yeah, let's play cards again some time!" Tyki waves a hand.

"Next time we'll win for sure!"

***

"It's a weird day, isn't it?" Lenali says as they are walking back to the headquarters.

"Yes," Miranda replies, "But it was fun."

"It surely was fun," Lenali speaks again, "I almost forgot Rhode and Tyki Mick were Noahs!"

Miranda giggles.

"But it's time to go back home."

Home. The headquarters is home. And the people in the order are family.

Allen smiles, maybe a life as an exorcist isn't that bad, "Yes, let's go home."

"Yeah, but I do hope we would get more holidays like this!" Lenali says.

Allen nods, "Taking a break like this once in a while would be very nice


End file.
